MOLE EAST AIR OPERATIONS

Evening Star, Issue 24330, 20 October 1942, Page 3

MOLE EAST AIR OPERATIONS

ACTIVITY AROUND MALTA CONTINUED (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 9.45 a.m.) RUGBY, October 19. Air activity around Malta continues, although the enemy inflicted very little damage. Our long-range fighters on offensive patrol over Sicily snot down/ a Heinkel 111, while fighters inland; destroyed two Messerschimtt 109’s. We. lost one aircraft in these operations. One pilot is safe.

ENEMY MERCHANT SHIP BEACHED (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 9.45 a.m.) RUGBY, October 19. A communique from Cairo headquarters states that on land there was some patrol and artillery activity yesterday. Air activity over the battle area was on a small scale, but our long-range fighters successfully attacked targets on the coastal road. On the night of October 17-18 our torpedo-carrying aircraft attacked an enemy merchant ship which, listing to port, was beached near the coast of Tripolitania following a previous attack on the night of October 14-15.

TIP-AND-RUN RAIDS

MALTA'S SPIRITED DEFENCE

LONDON, October 19. Official facts announced to-day show how the R.A.F. smashed the Axis attempts to subdue the defences of the island. During a week of continuous heavy raids a total of 114 enemy planes were destroyed. The R.A.F. losses were 27 Spitfires, but 14 of the pilots were saved. These figures mean that during 1,400 sorties one out of every 13 of the raiding planes failed to get back. fighters destroyed eight more enemy aircraft over Malta yesterday. The enemy’s air offensive, however, had eased considerably, and most of the attacks were only furtive tip-arid-run raids on aerodromes. ■

ENEMY'S RECORD LOSSES

(British Official Wireless.)

(Rec. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 10. ■ In the week ended October 17 the enemy lost 114 aircraft in the assault on Malta for the British loss of 27 Spitfires, with 14 pilots saved. The enemy made some 1,400 sorties against the island, therefore approximately one hostile aircraft in 13 which set out from Sicily failed to return. This takes no account of the scores of o.thers so crippled that they had little hope of getting home. Never before had the pilots destroyed so many enemy aircraft in one week around Malta.

ALEUTIAN ISLANDS *

SUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON JAP DESTROYERS

(Rec. .11.33. a.m.)

NEW YORK. October 19,

Twenty-six low-flying Marauder bombers carried out a deck-level attack against enemy shipping at Kiska on Friday, hays the United Press correspondent in Alaska. An Army announcement says the Marauders found destroyers disguised as cargo ships. The attackers saw crates on the ships’ , decks fly high through smoke, flame, and geysers of wafer. Japanese sailors were seen going oyer the side clinging to wreckage., The ships were the first Japanese naval craft sighted near Kiska for several days, and army "officials believed the crates' on the decks contained fighter planes for the Kiska garrison, which apparently is without fighter protection. The army announcer indicated that there would be continued relentless attacks to drive the Japanese from the [Aleutians*